Resident Evil Requiem is one of the biggest survival-horror releases of 2026, bringing together classic Resident Evil horror, modern action, exploration, and a new story featuring both familiar and new characters.
Developed and published by Capcom, Resident Evil Requiem launched on February 27, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game continues the long-running Resident Evil storyline while introducing a new protagonist alongside franchise veteran Leon S. Kennedy. (PC Gamer)
After spending years experimenting with different styles of horror and action, Capcom has attempted something ambitious with Requiem: combine several of the series’ strongest ideas into one experience.
A Story Built Around Two Protagonists
One of the most interesting parts of Resident Evil Requiem is its dual-protagonist structure.
Players experience the story through Grace Ashcroft, a new character, and Leon S. Kennedy, one of the most recognizable characters in the Resident Evil franchise.
The two characters also provide different gameplay experiences. Grace’s sections focus more heavily on first-person survival horror, while Leon’s gameplay brings a more action-oriented third-person perspective. (Gizbot)
This approach gives the game a useful change of pace. Instead of relying on one gameplay style for the entire campaign, Requiem moves between tension, exploration, puzzles and combat.
Horror and Atmosphere
Horror is where Resident Evil Requiem performs particularly well.
Dark environments, limited visibility, disturbing creatures and carefully designed sound effects create a constant feeling that something could be waiting around the next corner.
The game doesn’t need to rely on jump scares every few minutes. Much of the tension comes from the environment itself.
Exploring abandoned locations while listening to distant sounds can sometimes be more effective than a traditional enemy encounter.
This atmosphere is one of the reasons the game feels connected to the survival-horror roots of the franchise while still looking like a modern AAA release.
Gameplay: Horror Meets Action
Resident Evil Requiem combines exploration, puzzle solving and combat.
Grace’s sections generally emphasize vulnerability and survival, while Leon provides a stronger action-focused experience. This creates a noticeable contrast between different parts of the campaign.
The combat feels responsive, while weapons and encounters are designed to make players think about positioning and resources rather than simply shooting everything in sight.
The game also includes classic Resident Evil-style puzzles and environmental exploration.
According to PC Gamer’s review, the campaign is relatively focused, with the reviewer completing it in roughly 10 hours and praising the way the game avoids unnecessary padding. (PC Gamer)
Graphics and Visual Quality
Resident Evil Requiem is powered by Capcom’s RE Engine, and the visual presentation is one of its strongest features.
Character models, environments, lighting and atmospheric effects help create a highly detailed world.
The PC version goes particularly far with modern graphics technology, including ray tracing and path tracing options. These features can significantly improve lighting and reflections, although they also increase hardware requirements. (ComputerBase)
For players with powerful gaming PCs, the advanced lighting options can make dark environments considerably more realistic.
However, players with mid-range hardware may want to prioritize a stable frame rate over maximum graphics settings.
PC Performance
Performance depends heavily on the hardware and graphics settings being used.
Without demanding ray-tracing or path-tracing features, the game can provide a much smoother experience across a wider range of gaming PCs. Once advanced lighting features are enabled, GPU requirements increase considerably. (The FPS Review)
Players using NVIDIA hardware can also take advantage of technologies such as DLSS and frame generation, while AMD users have access to supported FSR technologies.
For the best experience, players should experiment with upscaling and ray-tracing settings rather than automatically selecting the highest preset.
Is Resident Evil Requiem Worth Playing?
Yes — especially if you enjoy survival horror, action games or the Resident Evil series.
The biggest strength of Requiem is its combination of different elements.
It offers:
- Atmospheric survival horror
- Action-focused combat
- Exploration
- Environmental puzzles
- First-person gameplay
- Third-person gameplay
- A dual-protagonist story
- Modern graphics and lighting
- A focused single-player campaign
The game also does a good job of connecting the classic identity of Resident Evil with the direction of modern horror games.
What Could Be Better?
Resident Evil Requiem isn’t perfect.
The biggest potential issue is that players looking for a very long campaign may find its relatively focused length disappointing.
The change between different protagonists and gameplay perspectives may also take some time to get used to.
PC players should additionally be careful with demanding graphical settings. Path tracing can put significant pressure on modern GPUs, particularly at high resolutions. (Gizbot)
Final Verdict
Resident Evil Requiem is a strong return for Capcom’s legendary survival-horror franchise.
Its combination of horror, action, puzzles and exploration makes it accessible to both longtime Resident Evil fans and players discovering the series for the first time.
The dual-protagonist design is particularly interesting because Grace and Leon provide noticeably different experiences. The impressive visuals and atmospheric environments further strengthen the game.
If you enjoy horror games and want a polished single-player experience, Resident Evil Requiem is definitely worth checking out.
Gamesteller Rating: 9/10
Pros
- Excellent horror atmosphere
- Strong visual presentation
- Interesting dual-protagonist structure
- Good balance between horror and action
- Engaging exploration and puzzles
- Strong combat
Cons
- Campaign may feel short for some players
- Advanced PC graphics settings are demanding
- Switching gameplay styles may not appeal to everyone